Hogsmeade Hall
by LYNDSEYm
Summary: It's the start of Harry's fifth year at Hogwarts and after a long and hard holiday, he gets back to find a new arrival. But when Ron goes mysteriously missing at Hogsmeade, Harry finds himself in deathly trouble with nobody to turn to. Everyone he thought he could trust.. he can't. Will he ever find Ron? And what's more... is he willing to risk his life to do it?
1. Chapter 1: London

The start of this story will possibly seem boring to you, but it will get better once it gets going, and its important you read it as it comes up again half way through the story. So give the first few chapters a read before you click off after chapter one - because it does get more interesting :) and don't forget to review!

Chapter One

'Do us proud, Dudley kins!'  
'You'll be absolutely spectacular, son!'  
'Come and give mummy some kisses goodbye!'

Harry sat up in bed and grinned to himself. Dudley was off on a school trip, and he'd been given the job as a tour guide. Despite the fact Harry would now be alone with his aunt and uncle, he was still glad he wouldn't have to put up with Dudley and his uneducated brats for friends.

He glanced sideways to find Hedwig looking up at him.

'Looks like it's just me and you.' He sighed, patting her head. She hooted affectionately and jumped around in her cage. Harry was one week into the holidays and so far the Dursley' s house hadn't been so bad, apart from the fact he'd been caught outside the house with a visible imprint in his trousers where his wand was hidden. This resulted in Harry being locked in his room for two weeks, but he didn't really mind. It kept him away from the Dursleys, therefore he couldn't complain.

He stood up from his bed and picked up his potions books from the cold, wooden floor of his bedroom. He would soon be starting fifth year at Hogwarts and he was determined to make a good impression in front of Snape. Harry knew very well Snape despised him, but now that he was in fifth year he would be taking his O.W.L.S and from the disruption that went on at the Triwizard Tournament last year, Harry wanted to focus on his education a little more. And this also meant getting good results in his Potions class.

A sudden bang from downstairs indicated that Dudley had just left the house. Glancing out the window of his room, Harry saw Dudley gripping a ridiculously large suitcase containing his oversized clothes, striding down the driveway towards a car waiting at the bottom. Harry guessed this must be the posh taxi Aunt Petunia had hired to take Dudley to school seeing as Uncle Vernon' s car had broken down two days before. Dudley turned around and looked up at Harry's window, stuck out his fat tongue making him look even more like a pig, and climbed into the car. Harry had hardly ever laughed since he had been living in Privet Drive, but witnessing Dudley' s bottom getting stuck in the car door as he failed to climb inside made Harry's side's almost split.

Harry soon stopped laughing though, for a tiny owl flew in through Harry's window and landed on his shoulder.

'Pigwidgeon, what are you doing here?!' Harry asked the owl, whose hoots had now disturbed an angry Hedwig. Harry went to calm his owl down, but then noticed the small piece of parchment attached to Pigwidgeon' s leg. He untied it and unfolded it quickly - it wasn't like Ron to send him a letter this early into the holidays.

"Harry,  
I know that it's not your birthday for a while yet, but I've spoken to Hermione and we would really like to see you this year. My dad said he's going to stop by your house this weekend and persuade your aunt and uncle to let you stay at our house for the rest of the holidays! Fred and George wanted to come but mum found them using dungbombs outside the neighbours house and wouldn't let them.

I won't say much more seeing as it's a surprise but see you soon Harry!

Ron Weasley."

Harry folded the letter back up and pushed it under his pillow. He was going to Ron's! He couldn't believe it! The way Dumbledore had described it, he would have spent at least half the holidays stuck at the Dursleys.

And now Mr Weasley would be arriving at his house in 3 days. Just 3 days. Harry ran the length of his room and grabbed his suitcase, laying it down onto his bed. His room was an absolute mess as a result of living in it for a week, but it didn't take long for it all to be piled into his case. Harry decided he wouldn't need anything until the weekend, so now it was just a point of spending three days with nothing to do.

Everything suddenly seemed to have turned around for the better. There was no Dudley to agitate him, Mr Weasley was coming to speak to the Dursleys (which would provide an hilarious experience to Harry) and he was going to Ron's after just one painful week at Privet Drive. Nothing could ruin Harry's mood.

Apart from Uncle Vernon.

'Potter!' Came the booming voice of his Uncle from below. 'Potter! Down here at once!'

'But my door is locked!' Harry shouted back. He sometimes wondered if the Dursleys actually owned a brain.

'Oh.' He heard a slight sigh come from his Uncle, and then the loud banging of his footsteps advancing up the stairs. A minute later, the clicking of the lock on his door indicted he was free of his room, and before he could even touch the door it had been swung open to reveal Uncle Vernon.

'You must come downstairs to discuss plans with your Aunt and I.' He said. 'Come. Now.'

He turned on his heel and strode down the stairs again as if he had delivered the speech of a lifetime. Harry followed a few metres behind him, rolling his eyes. As he arrived downstairs, he saw Aunt Petunia already squashed onto a chair at the kitchen table, and his Uncle doing the same. He sat down in the chair furthest away from them. Aunt Petunia cleared her throat, and gave a fake smile to Harry.

'Boy, we have decided to take you on a trip.' She said. 'I don't feel right without my Duddey, and your Uncle and I have agreed that we should go and stay in a hotel next to his. We shall be leaving tomorrow morning, no excuses.'

Harry felt like a bullet had been fired straight through him.

'What?!' He stammered. 'No! Let me stay here! I don't want to go! I'm busy this weekend!'

Uncle Vernon laughed and shook his head. His chin seemed to wobble a strange way when he did...Harry would usually find this funny, but the anger building up inside him was taking over.

'You have plans? Potter, since when did you have plans? You shall be coming to London with us and that is the end of it. Room, now.'

Harry clenched his fists under the table until they felt red hot. Mr Weasley wasn't coming for three days, and now he wouldn't never get the chance to go to Ron's. The Dursleys had messed everything up. Harry shot up from the table and stormed out of the room, unable to even speak. He wasn't going with the Dursleys, even if it was the last thing he did. He was NOT going.

**_keep reading,it gets better ok_**


	2. Chapter 2: A Surprise

**_Chapter Two_**

Refusing to go to London with the Dursleys didn't work out entirely well. Harry found himself Sat at the kitchen table with his aunt and uncle on thursday morning, listening to their tedious conversations about how much they missed their son.

'Oh I do hope Duddy's ok, Vernon...' Aunt Petunia sighed, shaking her head.  
'The other boys in his class have always taken to being nasty to him because he is so much better than them. In my opinion, it's all jealousy. They all want to be like Dudders!'

Harry had to hit himself hard in the stomach to stop himself from snorting at that remark. If he ever met anyone who was jealous of Dudley, he would snap his wand in half.

'He'll be fine, my love' Came his Uncle's reply.  
'We'll be there with him in no time. Potter, is all your stuff packed?' He shot Harry a look.

'Yes. It's packed, but I don't know what for, seeing as I'm not leaving.'

'Don't - you - get - narky - with - ME.' Uncle Vernon was trying with all his might to control his anger. Harry knew that if he carried on, any second now he would blow.

The screeching of two chairs then came from the room as Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon hauled themselves up. Harry stayed put. He was doing all he could to try to persuade them to let him stay at home. But it wasn't working. He avoided a threatening stare from his Uncle and turned away from them.

'I'm warning you, Potter.' He murmured. 'Get up now. We are leaving in ten minutes, and by we I mean ALL of us.'

The anger in Harry was building up by the second, but he stood up before he said something he would regret.

'Fine.' He said, and strode out of the room and advanced up the stairs. He had to think, and fast. When he entered his room, he realised there were only two options. One, he could lock himself in his room, and refuse to come out until his guardians changed their minds. No, he thought. That would never work. His uncle's fist was the size of Harry's head just about; his door would be down in no time. Two, Hedwig. Harry hadn't sent Hedwig away with any letters yet this holiday, so she would be stiff from being enclosed in a cage for a week...but he had no other choice. He would have to send a letter to Ron. Now.

Grabbing his suitcase from the corner of his room, he launched it onto his bed and unzipped it at lightening speed. Pen, he needed a pen. Pen pen pen pen. He threw practically everything out of his suitcase, letting it land in a crumpled heap on the floor. He finally found a blue pen perched on his cloak, and grabbed it quickly. Launching himself onto his bed, he found the letter Ron had given him and turned it over onto its back.

'Ron, I need help. My aunt and uncle are making me leave this morning to go and visit Dudley in London, which means your dad will miss us on Saturday. Please ask him to come now, Ron! I can't go with the Dursleys!

I'm leaving in ten minutes.'

He read through his letter and folded it up.

'Come on Hedwig, up!' He called to his sleepy owl. 'I've got a letter for Ron, and you HAVE TO FLY FAST!'

Hedwig, looking quite startled, ruffled around and allowed Harry to tie his letter to her long leg. Once he had finished, Hedwig flew off out of the window, leaving Harry to sit and wait.

Five minutes came and went. Hedwig hadn't returned. How could Harry have expected Hedwig to return so quickly?! She might not even be at Ron's yet!

'Potter! We're leaving!' Came Aunt Petunia's shrill voice up the stairs. 'Please bring down your suitcase so ..that you can put it into the car.'

That was it. Harry was going to have to leave for London with the Dursleys. He packed everything back into his suitcase, not even bothering to fold them this time, and zipped it up. His eyes started to sting but he blinked and told himself not to look stupid. Once his suitcase was ready, he put on his shoes and pulled the great thing down the stairs, with much trouble. He had packed all of his homework with him, so that he would have something to do. Even if he had to go to London, he still refused to visit Dudley.

As he reached the living room, he found Aunt Petunia fixing her hair in the mirror, and from the sound coming from the doorway he guessed his Uncle was trying to squeeze their suitcases through the door. Putting the hood of one of Dudley's donated jumpers over his head, Harry began to walk through the living room carrying his suitcase behind him. As he reached the hallway, his Uncle entered the house again to take Harry's suitcase and load it into the car.

'Come on boy, we'll be late!' He snarled. 'Give me that here and I'll load it into the car.'

Harry passed the suitcase onto him and watched as his Uncle struggled to turn it around towards the door. He chuckled to himself, making sure nobody heard him.

'Come on you stupid thing!' He groaned. 'I don't have any time for thi...'

But suddenly, as he looked up, he realised uncle vernon had gone silent. He had achieved the task of turning Harry's suitcase around, but was now staring wide-eyed at something through the door. There was only one thing that could put uncle vernon in shock, and that was at the sight of anything from the wizarding world. But his jaw hadn't...and there it went. His jaw dropped down to his second chin and all that came out was a murmur, almost like a slight shriek.

'What is it?' Harry asked, but he soon regretted it.

'YOU!' His uncle roared. 'YOU HAVE DONE THIS!'

Nothing seemed to make any sense. Slowly, Harry began to shuffle towards the doorway in which Uncle Vernon was standing. Turning his head in the same direction, he looked through the front door.


	3. Chapter 3: Owls and Rows

_**Chapter Three**_

There must have been at least 100 owls on the Dursley's front lawn, all looking directly into Harry's eyes. Right at the front of the crowd of owls sat Hedwig, looking incredibly pleased with herself; a letter tied to her leg. Uncle Vernon, however, looked like he was about to burst.

'WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?' He roared in Harry's face. 'WHY ARE THERE OWLS ON MY LAWN, YOU IDIOTIC BRAT!'

'They have come to deliver a letter to me, Uncle.' Harry smiled, not letting his viewpoint leave the owls that had now begun hooting. Vernon dropped the suitcase, and tried to look as calm as he could despite his urge to strangle Harry.

'Read it.' Was all that came out of his tightened mouth.

Harry bent down and untied the parchment on Hedwig's leg. He assumed that it was a reply to his plea for help from Ron, but considering he had asked for Mr Weasley, he was slightly confused. As soon as he opened the letter, every owl on the lawn took off into the sky, except Hedwig, who stayed in the same place as she had been before.

'As soon as I opened your letter I ran to tell dad, but he's got some sort of common cold from a prank that Fred pulled and he can't apparate. So instead, he's written to your Uncle asking permission for you to come to my house. I told Hedwig to gather some more owls, just to add some extra fun. If he says yes, pack a suitcase with everything and get the Knight Bus to the end of my road. I'll meet you there tonight.

Ron Weasley.'

As Harry finished reading the letter, he turned it over to reveal Mr Weasley's handwriting. He handed it to his Uncle, who seemed reluctant to take it at first, but after explaining that nothing would happen to him he eventually snatched it off of Harry. Two long minutes later, Uncle Vernon finally made a slight grunt, and shut the front door in front of him. Pushing past Harry, Vernon walked silently into the living room where Aunt Petunia was still poking at parts of her hair. Harry saw him show Petunia the letter, and she raised her eyebrows as if a bad smell was under her long nose. Confused, Harry followed his Uncle's footsteps into the living room and realised that both his guardians were stood in silence, staring at the letter.

'Well?' Harry tried to make conversation. 'Could someone tell me what's going on?'

The next few moments happened within seconds. Aunt Petunia had started shrieking and Uncle Vernon was ripping up the parchment in his hand, shouting at the top of his lungs.

'HOW. DARE YOU!' He grabbed Harry by the shoulders, shaking him violently until Harry felt like he was going to be sick. 'YOU ARRANGED THIS! YOU CONTACTED YOUR WEIRDO FRIEND AND TOLD HIM TO SEND OWLS! YOU EVIL, UNGRATEFUL, SELFISH LITTLE CHILD!' Uncle Vernon was now bright red in the face, and every word was being spat in his face. Aunt Petunia was still running around the house, bobbing around everywhere, not even realising that her hair had been completely ruined now.

'What will the neighbours think?' She screeched. 'They'll think we're mad! Owls outside our house! OWLS!'

The house had practically erupted in a matter of minutes. Uncle Vernon was ripping up the letter until it had practically vanished, roaring so loudly that the whole of Privet Drive must have heard. Harry didn't know what to do at that point. He had never, ever felt so mad before. All his hatred..his hatred towards the Dursleys, his hatred towards Voldemort, his hatred towards Draco Malfoy...was about to explode out of him and he had no choice but to let it. Without even thinking, he pulled his wand from his trousers and held it to his aunt and uncle. They instantly became dead quiet, and their eyes opened wide with fear.

'If anybody moves' Harry's voice shook. 'They will regret it. Do as I say, and nothing will happen to you. Got it?'

Aunt Petunia merely whimpered, and Uncle Vernon said nothing at all. He simply stared at the tip of Harry's wand that pointed directly at him.

'I am sick to death of you overreacting over every owl that enters this house. Over every unusual looking book I walk around with! You will have to understand that I am NOT normal, and I am a wizard!' Harry screamed.

At the sound of the word wizard, both people stood before him flinched, but Harry ignored it and carried on shouting at them. He didn't care about them anymore.

'I am leaving this afternoon, I am taking everything, and I am NEVER coming back!' His eyes were starting to sting now, and Harry knew he had said more than enough to scare his aunt and uncle. He lowered his wand, walked into the doorway to pick up his suitcase, and bolted upstairs. When he reached his room, he slammed the door and pushed his suitcase against it ensuring nobody could enter. His head had started to spin and tears were now streaming down his cheeks. Harry screamed as loudly as he could, and leapt onto his bed, burying his head in his pillow. He had started to sob now, and his head was pounding. His entire body was limp; he had never felt like this before. Harry curled up into a ball and screwed up his eyes, which were now stinging somewhat painfully. Nothing seemed real anymore. Nobody wanted him, not even his own aunt and uncle. Why did his parents die? Why couldn't he just be a normal wizard like everyone else?

After 2 hours of complete silence, Harry sat up on his bed and rubbed his red eyes. He couldn't hear any noise coming from downstairs. Either his Aunt and Uncle had left for London and left him behind, or they were still in deep shock over what had happened.

After a while deliberating what to do next, Harry stood up and walked slowly over to his bedroom window. He gazed out across the trees and wondered what to do. He had to get to Ron's. And he only had 3 hours to sort out how.


	4. Chapter 4: The Burrow

_**Chapter Four**_

It was well after dark when Harry finally climbed onto the Knight Bus. After much deliberating as to how he could escape from the Dursleys, he had chosen the not so clever idea of purely jumping out his window. Throwing his belongings out of the window before him had made a lot of racket, so Harry had had to wait until everyone else in the house was asleep. Trying to wake up Hedwig without making too much noise hadn't worked out well. She had hooted for ages, eventually Harry had to throw her out the window with the rest of his things and hope she flew. She did.

He reached the end of Privet Drive and turned the corner. He recognised the place he had last been when he was picked up on the bus. The place where he has first seen his godfather, Sirius Black, without even realising it. The Knight Bus arrived only a few seconds after Harry had stopped, and he was greeted as he climbed on-board.

'Well, Mr Harry Potter.' Ernie smiled. 'Havent seen you in quite a while. Welcome aboard. Where we off to then?'

'Uh, the Burrow please. Ron Weasley's' house please Ernie.' Harry faked a smile and turned to sit down. He found a seat near the back just as Ernie turned the engine back on. As the bus started to speed off, Harry was too lost in thought to even realise how much he was being thrown around. Everything he had said to the Dursleys was spinning around in his head, pounding his brain. He didn't regret any of it, but now that he'd pushed them away he knew he had no more family left to go to. Well, apart from his Godfather. But Harry had no idea where he was. The Burrow was the only place where Harry really felt welcome, and he would go whenever he was given the chance.

Even though it travelled at an incredible speed, the journey to Ron's seemed to last forever. As the Knight Bus finally came to a halt outside Ron's house, Harry thanked Ernie and climbed out, his suitcase behind him. It was so good to be back here. Strangely, he noticed all of the lights were still on inside...even Ginny's. Ginny would always be asleep by now. If she was awake, why? Even though he had no idea what the time was, Harry knew it was late. As the Knight Bus sped off, Harry crossed the empty road and grinned as he walked towards the Burrow. Reaching the house, he gave one tap on the door and it shot open instantly, revealing a very happy Ron.

'Harry! Mum, he's here!' He shouted, turning towards the kitchen and beckoning Harry inside. He was greeted by the entire Weasley family (all apart from Percy of course, who was out on a work task) who hugged him and said their hellos.

'Ron couldn't sleep, he was so worried about you.' Mrs Weasley smiled. 'Fred and George wanted to stay up because Ron was up...and Ginny found it unfair seeing as the entire house was up anyway' She laughed, her eyes twinkling.

'We have so many funny stories to tell you Harry!' Fred smirked. 'Well, once mum has gone obviously.' Molly gave him a stare, raising an eyebrow. Everyone laughed. Harry felt a warmth as he looked around at everyone, finally feeling happy at last.

As the night progressed, Harry told the Weasleys about his journey and enjoyed some delicious muggle cake, and by almost midnight they had all retired to their beds. As Harry laid awake, looking up at the ceiling, he wondered what the Dursleys might be doing right now. They'd probably be fast asleep, not even knowing that Harry had disappeared. Even though he had been angry, Harry had left his aunt and uncle a short letter in the rare case they actually entered his bedroom. Now he thought about it, he was glad he had. At least they'd know where he was and they would be glad to see him gone! As he closed his eyes, he smiled to himself. He was happy to be back at Ron's house. It was almost a connection to the wizarding world for him; somewhere he felt safe most of the time. He slowly drifted off to sleep, dreaming about Hogsmeade and butterbeer, quidditch and Hogwarts.

And that was when he felt it. The burning sensation in his forehead. And that only meant one thing.


	5. Chapter 5: Harry's Dream

_**Chapter Five **_

It was dark, and Harry shivered as he entered the room. It was entirely empty, apart from one small armchair in the middle, with its back to him. A sense of gloom and dullness seemed to surround Harry and he stood rooted to the spot. He was stood in what looked like a long hall. Everything inside was dusty, as if no one had touched it for years. He didn't recognise where he was, and there were no clues as to where either. The windows, or at least he thought they were windows, had all been boarded up except from the one in the door behind him. This resulted in the hall being quite dark too apart from the beam of light behind.

'Here.' A voice said, piercing through Harry like a sudden shock of waves. He jumped, wanting to let out a scream... but no words came out of his mouth. He held his breath, hardly able to breathe, scared. His hands had started to shake and he got even colder underneath his robes. Trying not to show he was scared was almost impossible right now.

'Who are you?' He said quietly, hardly able to force words from his mouth. His entire throat had gone dry. Harry's voice was shaking and stuttering. 'Where are you?!'

No reply came for at least five minutes. Harry wasn't sure whether to turn and run, or stay. However his only option right now was to stand still. He couldn't move, no matter how hard he tried. Fear had taken over him. It wouldn't let him move. Harry put his hand down onto his pocket, feeling his wand. At least he had some type of defence if anything happened to him.

And then the voice spoke again, louder this time, for Harry to make out every single word. Harry recognised the voice this time.

'Harry Potter' it said, causing Harry's eyes to widen. 'You will pay. You will pay for everything you have done, all the pain you have caused. You will die.'

Before Harry could even take in what had just been said, a loud boom came from behind him. It had sounded like the door closing, but from what he could see, there was nobody there who could have opened it. He whipped round, expecting to see the owner of the voice there... but there was nobody. Just an old wooden door, half off its hinges, just as he had left it. Harry didn't understand. Where was he? What was going on?

And that was when he felt the cold chill down the back of his neck, stretching down into his spine. Without even thinking, he turned around, back to where he had previously been facing. And gasped. Ten of them were standing there, standing towards Harry. Ten dementors.

Harry started to tremble, and backed towards the door, not taking his eyes off of them. But every step he took they followed. Letting his eyesight leave the horror in front of him, Harry turned to the door and gripped the cold, hard handle with his shaking hand. He tried to push it down with all his might but it wouldn't budge. He was stuck. Harry let out a cry and sank into the door, fumbling for his wand in his cloak pocket. But it was gone. He was useless; he had nothing.

The dementors continued to advance towards Harry, sending fear through his small body. He could almost feel himself being pulled towards them. As they gained on him, Harry sank lower and lower into the door, his hands sweating like mad. He was going to die.

The dementor closest to him then lifted its grey hands up to its hood, slowly lifting it from its head. It made a hissing noise, and started towards Harry's face. It was only a metre or so away. Harry screamed. And screamed again. But there was nobody there to save him. He was all alone by himself, with ten of them. They were going to take his soul and leave him. He would no longer have any happiness. He would die. And everyone would forget about him, the boy that beat Voldemort.

The dementors face was a mere few inches away from Harry's face now. And it's mouth was opening. He felt himself being pulled from the door, and he screamed one more time... before all went black.

'HARRY! HARRY!' Harry heard screaming and shouting, and opened his eyes. He was on the floor in Ron's bedroom, covered in sweat and tears. Mrs Weasley and Ron were crouched beside him, trying to control his shaking body.

'Harry! You were going crazy! What happened, Harry?!' Ron was shouting, looking scared out of his skin.

'Ron, give Harry some space. He must have been having a nightmare.' Mrs Weasley shushed her son, her hand on his arm, that had now started to shake too.

Harry looked around at the two people in front of him and tried to speak. But he couldn't. He couldn't tell anyone, not even the Weasleys. Harry's scar was pounding into his head, And causing him to shout louder and louder. And The only time he had ever felt pain like this before was after he had won the Tri-Wizard tournament and had come face to face with Voldemort. He clasped his forehead in agony, and suddenly went dizzy. He could hardly see anything. And everything went black again.


	6. Chapter 6: Waiting for Hogwarts

I hope you realised that most of that chapter (chapter five) was Harry's Dream. This one goes back to usual life, just thought I'd clear that up. Enjoy. and dont forget to review so i know what im doing right and wrong. :)

_**Chapter Six**_

'Harry

I cannot believe this has happened. These types of things only happen to you when Voldemort is near or angry. I can guarantee he wouldn't be anywhere near you, Harry. He must have just been angry. I hope you are alright, let me know if anything else happens. Keep Dumbledore informed too. Don't worry too much about it. Try and clear your head before you sleep, it could help. I could possibly speak to Dumbledore and ask if you can visit Hogsmeade fairly soon after you return to Hogwarts. Once again, I hope you are well.

S.'

Harry read the letter that had just arrived for him and rubbed his prickling scar. Trying to clear his head at night before he fell asleep was a lot easier said than done. It had just resulted in being up all night, trying so hard to clear his head that he couldn't actually sleep. He folded up the piece of parchment that had just been sent to him from Sirius and put it carefully under his pillow. It was the first time Harry had heard from his Godfather since his last year at Hogwarts. Mrs Weasley had sent Sirius the letter about Harry's nightmare, so he wasn't too sure exactly what it had said, but from reading the reply it sounded about right.

After his nightmare a couple of weeks ago, it hadn't stopped prickling and it was starting to frustrate him slightly. Mrs Weasley had been asking if he was alright every half hour; Harry couldn't remember what had happened after he had woken up but he knew it wouldn't have been very nice for Mrs Weasley to see. Ron, however, had probably seen it all before.

As he sat up and climbed out of bed, Hedwig hooted and Harry patted her on the head inside her cage.

'Thanks, Hedwig.' He smiled. He was grateful to Hedwig for flying back and forth all the time with letters to Sirius and Dumbledore about what had happened. 'You won't need to fly back again. I don't need to reply.'

She hooted once more, and Harry left his room to find the rest of the house downstairs for breakfast. It always smelt so nice and welcoming at breakfast time in the Weasley's house. They all greeted him as he sat in the one remaining empty space at the end of the table and received a warm mug of hot chocolate from Ginny. Harry thanked her and took a sip. It was delicious.

'Feeling ok today Harry?' Ron asked, looking hopeful. 'I know we have two weeks of the holiday left but we were thinking of going down to Diagon Alley for our new books and equipment. Just to make sure it's all ready, you know.'

'Sure!' Harry grinned. 'Sounds perfect. When are we going?' He glanced up at Mrs Weasley.

'A little bit later this afternoon, dear.' She smiled.

Harry felt relieved at the thought of leaving the house for the first time since he had been there. He finished his hot chocolate, nodded thankfully and they all arranged to visit Diagon Alley. The day seemed to go incredibly slowly to Harry while he waited to leave the Burrow. However when they finally reached Diagon Alley, the day seemed to fly by. After all taking some money out from Gringotts, they visited Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions (for Ginny to buy some new robes) and Harry and Ron went to look around in the Leaky Cauldron. As they left the shop, they had come face to face with Draco Malfoy, and after much effort Harry had finally persuaded them to leave him and Ron alone. With a few insults being shot back and forth, they eventually parted. The result of their little visit had meant that Ron was in an awfully bad mood, but Harry eventually managed to cheer him up. After that they had stuck back with Fred and George, who were looking for ways to pull their jokes on people. Seeing some people with tails and pigs noses amused all four of them and they laughed until they felt incredibly ill. By the time it had started to get dark, all of them were exhausted and they travelled back to the Burrow with Mrs Weasley.

'OWLs this year, Harry.' Ron sighed, as they walked along the road with armfuls of books for the upcoming year. 'Im not prepared at all so I hope we learn a lot this year. I'm definitely going to get a T in everything.'

'A T?' Harry murmured. 'What exactly is a 'T'? Nobody's ever mentioned that before.'

'T for Troll!' Ron burst out laughing.

Harry snorted and punched Ron lightly on the arm. 'Yeah, whatever. You'll be fine, Ron.'

The two boys laughed the rest of the way home, and once they had arrived, the same joke was still being recited. Fred and George had joined in too and they were all coming up with letters of the alphabet to determine how well you did in OWLs. After a long while of tutting from Mrs Weasley they eventually stopped laughing and managed to suppress a grin to each other. George hadn't been able to hold in his laughter, so he was sent upstairs which meant Fred followed him too, leaving Harry, Ron, Ginny and Mrs Weasley in the kitchen.

The rest of that day was spent cleaning up around the house for Mrs Weasley (not that Harry and Ron really wanted to) with Ginny and flicking through Harry and Ron's new text books. As they went upstairs to Ron's room later in the afternoon, Ron sat on his bed and started to look worried again. He resumed his stressful moaning about the OWLs, much to Harry's annoyance, but Harry listened and tried to look and sound interested.

'What if I do really badly though, Harry? I'm terrible at Defence Against Dark Arts. I can never do anything right and my test results are appalling, Harry.'

'Who knows, we might not even study it this year!' Harry grinned. 'After four years of every teacher taking the position being affected, I'm pretty sure nobody will exactly be running to take the job.'

'Yeah, you're right.' Ron smiled, feeling slightly better after that. 'Unless you teach me.'

Harry dropped his A History Of Magic book and it landed on the floor with a loud thump. It must have made an awfully loud noise on the floor but fortunately it had gone unnoticed. He spun round to face Ron with a puzzled expression on his face. He wasn't quite sure whether there was a hint of sarcasm in Ron's voice or if he was actually being serious.

'You are joking, right?' He blurted.

'Well, no.' Ron shrugged. 'Harry, you're the best at Defence Against Dark Arts in our entire year. You even beat Hermione in our last test. Some teachers and powerful wizards can't even produce a patronus, Harry. And you said that You-Know-Who is back so if we don't get another teacher then how are we meant to learn how to defend ourselves? I'm serious, honest.'

Harry couldn't believe what he was hearing. 'No, Ron. No way. That is the most ridiculous idea I have ever heard. Look, let's talk about it once we get back to school, ok? Dumbledore will probably have found someone. You never know.'

Ron looked disappointed but nodded in agreement and dropped the subject, not speaking about it again.

That night, the two boys settled down to sleep earlier than usual. They felt like sleeping the entire rest of the week. It passed quickly, and Harry and Ron hardly left the warm house of the Burrow at all. Fred and George had taken to showing them both their newly invented jokes, and it was all very amusing until Ron ended up with wings. Harry couldn't help but laugh. By the time Ron had finished the chewy sweet to get rid of his wings that Fred had given him, they were all laughing. Even Ron.

When the night before school came, Harry finally received a letter from Dumbledore. He hadn't been expecting one, as Dumbledore had never sent him a letter before. He called Ron over and opened it up. It read:

'Harry.

I hope you are well. Cornelius Fudge has been in contact and he does not seem to be happy as he does not believe He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named is back to full power and strength. From now on you must be very careful about what you say and who you say it to. Make sure you do not tell anyone this letter has arrived that you do not trust.  
I have been informed by Sirius that he too has spoken to you, and I have arranged for a Hogsmeade trip to take place the first weekend after term. You can visit Sirius then if you would like. I trust that you, and Sirius, will be careful.

See you soon, Harry.

Albus Dumbledore.'

Harry grinned and Ron patted his back.

'I can't wait to get back to school now!' Ron laughed.

'Me neither.' said Harry, shaking his head. 'I haven't seen Sirius since the end of last year after the Tri Wizard Tournament. And I expect he will want to know more about what happened with my scar the other week.'

Ron nodded in agreement and looked thoughtful. 'Come on, let's get some sleep Harry. I really don't understand; I never get this tired when I'm at school doing all sorts of things, yet when I'm doing nothing at all I get more tired..'

'Me too, Ron. Why don't you try and work that out while I fall asleep?' Harry laughed. 'I'll see you tomorrow morning. Good night.'

'Wait, one more thing!' Ron said.

'What?' Came the sigh from Harry, now feeling incredibly tired. 'Please make it quick.'

'What if I spoke to Hermione about you teaching me Defence Against Dark Arts and see what she thinks?'

'Whatever Ron, just see what happens at school. Please?'

'Mmm. Ok. Night Harry!'

'Good night Ron.'

He rolled over onto his side and sighed. One more year coming up, he thought. Anything could happen this year. Anything bad could happen this year.

And he was right.


	7. Chapter 7: Station Spying

**Some parts in this chapter actually happen in OOTP but most of it is entirely made up obviously. i know its been a long build up to Hogwarts, but its finally there now and things will start to get interesting..**

**please review so i know what im doing right and wrong. enjoy chapter seven. lyndseym :)**

_**Chapter Seven**_

As he and the rest of the Weasleys arrived at the station, Harry took a deep breath and glanced over at Ron. He could tell that Ron was feeling the same way as he was. Excited but nervous at the same time. When everyone was sorted out with their bags and Hedwig was safely tucked under Harry's arm in her cage, they all walked over towards Platform 9 and 3/4, making sure there were no muggles in sight. The train station was fairly quiet this morning, Harry noticed. He watched as Hogwarts students ran through the platform at quite a speed, looking incredibly nervous. Harry guessed that these must be the new first years. He laughed to himself as he recalled Hagrid shouting to all the first years to come to him. Sometimes he wished he could go back to first year. When he finally escaped him daydream, he realised Ginny, Fred and George had already gone through the barrier, leaving him and Ron behind. They were just about to set off when Harry felt Mrs Weasleys hand on his shoulder. He turned around to see her looking quite worried, but trying not to show it.

'Alright, Mrs Weasley?' He asked, looking concerned.

'Harry, be careful, my dear. Look after yourself and remember: Dumbledore will always protect you. Ok?' She gave a half hearted smile and ushered him back towards Ron. She still looked worried. Harry wasn't quite sure what she meant but he shook it off and smiled at Ron. The two of them waved goodbye to Mrs Weasley and walked towards the barrier. As they advanced towards it they became even more excited, and eventually they broke into a run. When they finally arrived the other side, the noisy sound of Hogwarts pupils greeted them. Students from all years were running around laughing and screaming, welcoming each other back and discussing the upcoming year. Nobody really seemed to notice the two boys. They wasted no time in climbing onto the train. Ginny noticed them and followed, leaving behind an annoyed looking Dean Thomas. He stuck up his nose and turned his back, striding over to another group of excited looking people. Climbing onto the train, they walked down the corridor looking to find a cabin, and they at last found one near the back of the train. Most of them had already been filled up with people eager to get going. They hadn't even fully opened the door when they were jumped on by an excited Hermione. She hugged the three of them until their sides nearly split.

'Ron, Ron! You'll never guess what!' She gabbled at an incredible speed. 'I got one too! I couldn't believe it when it came in the post!' She resumed her squealing and Ginny rolled her eyes and tried to calm her.

'Hermione...' Ron said, looking even more confused than Harry was. 'What are you on about? And stop talking at such a fast speed, I can't understand a word you're saying.'

'Oh come on Ron, you know what. A prefect badge!' She gleamed, jumping up and down with delight. She pulled back the front of her robes and showed Ron.

But Ron still wasn't understanding. He looked down at the shiny badge pinned to her robes and saw the bold letter P printed onto it. 'Hermione, I don't understand. I didn't get a Prefect badge.'

He watched as Hermione's face dropped and her expression became confused. 'But on the list...it..it said your name. Ron Weasley.'

'But I didn't get anything at all.' Ron stammered. 'I didn't get any letters at all over the summer. I asked mum every day if I had got anything but she just went all funny and said no...'

'That explains why you didn't reply to my letters then...' began Hermione, but Ron interrupted her.

'You sent me letters? Wait, how many? I didn't get them either! What's going on? Do you know anything about this, Harry?'

Harry didn't. He didn't have a clue what was going on, but he knew for sure that Ron hadn't received any letters over the holidays. He had received Hermione's letters but he hadn't wanted to upset Ron by saying that he had when Ron hadn't got one.

'Ron didn't get any letters, Hermione.' He nodded, trying to catch her eye and tell her not to mention her letters to Harry.

'Oh.' She raised an eyebrow and seemed to understand Harry's odd facial expressions. 'Ron, why don't you ask your mother if she knows about any of it?'

Ron nodded and arranged with Harry to write to Mrs Weasley once they had got settled in at Hogwarts. Hermione insisted that her and Ron went to speak to the other Prefects to check if Ron was on the list, leaving Harry and Ginny behind. They walked into the cabin and sat down, not quite knowing what to say. Trying to avoid the awkwardness, Harry looked out of the window and watched the station being left behind as the train progressed towards Hogwarts. Before Harry could open his mouth to attempt a conversation, there came a knock at the door and it opened to reveal Luna Lovegood.

'May I sit with you?' She said, clutching a copy of The Quibbler in her small hands. The light from the window seemed to shine onto her eyes and for the first time, Harry noticed how nice she looked.

'Um, sure.' Harry smiled. 'Its Luna, right?'

'Yes. My name is Luna Lovegood.'

'Thought so.'

Luna sat down opposite Harry and opened up her magazine, and started to read it. All became quiet again, although Harry did notice she was reading her magazine upside down. He went to ask, but decided not to in case she was offended. He closed his mouth and turned to the window again. Silence was once again resumed until another knock came at the door.

'Sorry, it's full!' Ginny called, rolling her eyes. 'Go somewhere else.'

But the person at the door didn't seem to want to take no as an answer. The door burst open, letting Draco Malfoy into view. Harry noticed he was without Crabbe and Goyle this time... strangely.

'Well, if it isn't Potter and the mudblood.' He snarled. However he was slightly defensive stood by himself, and he was holding onto the door with quite some strength.

'Get out, Malfoy. No one wants you here so clear off.' Ginny stared at Draco. She wasn't in any kind of mood to argue, but when it came to Draco she refused to tolerate him. Her hatred for him was huge.

'Just wanted to come and show Potter my Prefect badge seeing as he didn't get one.' Draco carried on. 'How do you like it, eh?' He said, shoving it in Harry's face. The gleaming badge held the letter P on it just like Hermione's, and Harry couldn't help but feel the slightest bit annoyed that everyone had been given a badge but him. Why had Dumbledore not given him one?!

'Yeah it's great. Now piss off, Malfoy.' Harry spat.

'Fine. But don't expect to have a good year. Potter.'

And he left. Harry started to become impatient and looked at his wrist to check his watch that didn't even work. It wasn't long until Ron and Hermione returned, Ron now bearing a shiny Prefect badge on his chest, the same as Hermione's. He looked just as excited as Hermione had been when she first showed them all hers and the annoyance inside Harry sprang back into his head again. He tried to look pleased, even though jealousy was taking over.

'Well done, Ron. You deserved it.' He muttered, faking a smile. The two of them sat down next to Harry and the journey continued with the odd conversation here and there.

When the train finally pulled up at Hogwarts, the group clambered off of the train and they were greeted by the familiar sound of shouting Hogwarts students. As Harry scanned the crowd of wizards and witches, he noticed a teacher he didn't recognize leading the first years onto the transport to Hogwarts. He nudged Ron and pointed towards her, but he didn't seem to recognize her either. In fact, quite a lot of the students had now stopped in their tracks and were looking at the teacher nervously.

What puzzled Harry more was where Hagrid was. He listened for the sound of his gruff voice calling the first years over, but no matter how hard he tried he couldn't hear him. He searched across the moving crowd twice, and on the third attempt he eventually gave up persevering and caught up with Ron and Hermione.

'How was your holiday then, Hermione?' Harry heard Ron say as he approached them. 'Oh hi Harry! Didn't know where you'd gone.'

'It was brilliant. I almost forgot to go to Diagon Alley and buy my new robes and text books for school! It's such an awfully long story, but I'll try and make it as short as possible...you'll love it...' Hermione jumped into an extremely long story about her summer, and how she had introduced her parents into SPEW. As soon as she had mentioned it, Ron took to humming to himself as she spoke, pretending to listen. Harry eventually gave up listening too and simply said 'Yes' and 'I see' in places he thought suitable. It was almost twenty minutes later when Hermione stopped talking, and she realised Harry and Ron had now started having their own conversation entirely. Rolling her eyes, she joined in with their conversation and reminded herself to try telling her story again later.

As the three of them left the crowd of people behind them, the person watching Harry grinned. Their eyes lit up and they clenched their fists. This year was going to be interesting. This year was going to be revenge. And with that, she turned around and resumed her calling for first years.


End file.
